The studio behind the satirical Saudi cartoon millions are watching

It's still dangerous to push the boundaries in Saudi Arabia.

That's exactly what animation studio Myrkott is doing, and it's building a huge online following in the process.

Myrkott and its creators are behind the wildly popular satirical cartoon series, Masameer.

Named after a Saudi neighborhood about 186 miles (300 km) west of the capital Riyadh, the series pokes fun at the conservative kingdom over issues such as women's rights, corruption, drug use and religious tension -- subjects that would have been taboo until very recently.

The series has so far amassed more than 600 million views over 100 episodes on YouTube.

"We try to create characters from all aspects, all different backgrounds, cultures, religions. Characters that you meet everyday," said Abdulaziz Al-Muzaini, who founded Myrkott with Malik Nejer and Faisal Alamer in 2014.

"When you watch it as a Saudi or from the Gulf, there is a certain depth of reality... that makes people love it," he told CNNMoney.

Masameer also tackles other dramatic changes being driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who wants to overhaul the economy and restore a more tolerant culture to Saudi Arabia.

It features a man who runs out of patience with the lack of change, and decides his only option is to escape what he calls the "medieval" kingdom, leaving his wife in the process.

He starts a video blog about his new "freedom" and his desire to try things that are forbidden in Saudi Arabia.

"Tomorrow I'll think about being an atheist, then become part of an opposition, then try being gay," he says in a video that was cut short for an announcement claiming women will be allowed to drive.

That prompts him to return to Saudi Arabia.

The episode has been watched more than 1.7 million times. But Al-Muzaini knows it won't be universally popular.

"We know that not all people are going to take it well," Al-Muzaini said in his studio in Riyadh. "We don't want to follow, we want to lead. We want to go on five years from now and say 'we told you so.'"

Myrkott co-founder, Abdulaziz Al-Muzaini, at his studio in Riyadh

The risks of going too far too fast were underscored earlier this month.

The head of a government agency was fired after he attended the opening party of an academy to train women to become beauticians. Models at the event in Riyadh were dressed conservatively, but were unveiled and were wearing makeup, a scene that would have been almost unthinkable a few months back.

Social media sites were abuzz following the event.

"The kingdom and its men does not approve of this irresponsible act," tweeted one Saudi user. "This is out of our norms and traditions," tweeted another.

Al-Muzaini believes changing the way young people think is vital if the country is going to move forward. Getting more of them into work is a key part of bin Salman's Vision 2030 for what the economy, and the country, should look like.

"The vision is not about the money, it's not about who you put as a leader, it's rather about the mentality of the people," Al-Muzaini said. "The vision is not going to happen with the same mentalities that we have these days."